I stripped down this story about the “Opportunity 2020” convention of Dem millionaires and billionaires to the bone in order to reveal the “pragmatic” mindset in all of its witlessly ironic, and fucked up glory.
…moderate (Democrats) are warning that ignoring them will lead the party to disaster in the midterm elections and the 2020 presidential contest.
…some of the major fundraisers pressing operatives on what can be done to stop (Sanders) if he runs for the White House again.
…”The only narrative that has been articulated in the Democratic Party over the past two years is the one from the left,” former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell told NBC News. “I think we need a debate within the party,” he added. “Frankly, it would have been better to start the conversation earlier.”
… (“Opportunity 2020” convention) is an effort to offer an attractive alternative to the rising Sanders-style populist left in the upcoming presidential race.
…moderates see a better chance to win over Republicans turned off by Trump.
…billionaire real estate developer, Winston Fisher, co-cohosted the event and addressed attendees twice underscored that this group is not interested in the class warfare vilifying the “millionaires and billionaires” found in Sanders’ stump speech.
…”You’re not going to make me hate somebody just because they’re rich. I want to be rich!” Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, a potential presidential candidate, said Friday to laughs.
…The invitation-only gathering brought together about 250 Democratic insiders from key swing states. Third Way unveiled the results of focus groups and polling that it says shows Americans are more receptive to an economic message built on “opportunity” rather than the left’s message about inequality.
…”Once again, the time has come to mend, but not end, capitalism for a new era,” said Third Way President Jon Cowan.
…But some elected officials in relatively conservative areas say progressives are clueless about what their agenda would mean for Democrats outside major cities and the coasts.
…”We will be a permanent minority party in this country,” said Iowa state Sen. Jeff Danielson, a firefighter who represents an area that saw one of the biggest swings from Barack Obama to Trump during the 2016 election.
…Single-payer, government-run health care may be a popular party plank in New York City, where Ocascio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist, recently won a high-profile primary, Danielson said, adding, “But it does not work in the rest of America … and I’m tired of losing.”
…Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., a member of House Democratic leadership who represents a district Trump won, invoked Richard Nixon’s “silent majority.” “If you look throughout the heartland, there’s a silent majority who just wants normalcy. Who wants to see that people are going out to Washington to fight for them in a civil way and get something done,” she told reporters.
…”There’s a lot of people that just don’t really like protests and don’t like yelling and screaming,” she added.
…And they worry the “angry left” will cost Democrats a rare chance to win over those kind of voters, including Republicans who no longer want to part of Trump’s GOP.
…”Republicans have chosen the far-right, which means that they have ceded a good portion of the middle of the road,” said former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who is considering a presidential run. “The Democrats, in my opinion, would make a big mistake if they decide to run a base election and just say, ‘Our base is bigger than your base.'”
…With much of the recent policy innovation on the Democratic side been happening on the left, the “Opportunity Agenda” unveiled here tries to equip moderates with their own big ideas.
…Some of the key initiatives are a massive apprenticeship program to train workers, a privatized employer-funded universal pension that would supplement Social Security and an overhaul of unemployment insurance to include skills training.
…Other proposals included a “small business bill of rights” and the creation of a “BoomerCorps” — like the volunteer AmericaCorps for seniors.
…Many of the party’s biggest stars like — Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey —have already signed on to Sanders-backed policies like single-payer health care. But Bennett said he thinks they’ll reconsider when they examine the details. “I think they were a little hasty,” he said.
…In a twist, the agenda is based largely geography, rather than class or race, which are more popular on the left. It focuses on trying to address the fact that cities are thriving as rural areas fall behind.
…Clinton was pilloried earlier this year for bragging that she “won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward,” but Democratic losses in the rest of America have been politically disastrous for the party.
…Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said his side is not “naturally arbiters of emotion and anger.” “How we tell our story and put forward our polices in a way that makes people want to mount the barricades is one of the biggest challenges we have,” said Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represents Fairfield, Connecticut.
…He pointed to calls to “Abolish ICE,” for instance, which he characterized as emotionally understandable but politically illogical.
…”It hurts us in areas where we need to win,” Himes warned of “Abolish ICE” in the midterms. “You have now made life harder for the 60 or 70 Democrats fighting in districts where we need to win if we ever want to be in the majority.”
